1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to speech analysis to provide real-time measurement of end-user stress, fatigue, and uncertainty in decision-making.
2. Description of the Related Art
Speech recognition technology is currently in widespread use for computerized report transcription in a number of professional fields including medicine. As medicine has undergone a wholesale transition from analog (i.e., paper-based) to digital (i.e., computerized) practice, speech recognition technology has been one of the fundamental drivers in the process. A number of operational, economical, and efficiency benefits are derived through its use including the digitization of medical data, elimination of third party transcription services, ability to archive data into a centralized database, and markedly improved report turnaround and communication. Medical reports which previously required days for delivery can now be finalized and communicated in minutes, which improves the timeliness of healthcare delivery and in theory, can lead to improved clinical outcomes. Along with these derived benefits in operational efficiency and data management, adoption of speech recognition technology does come at a cost. By transferring editing and transcription responsibilities to the end-user (i.e., radiologist), use of speech recognition can result in decreased productivity, which is of particular importance in the current medical practice environment of reduced economic reimbursements, increased data volume and complexity, and heightened expectations in service delivery. These combined pressures have exacerbated the increased occupational stress and fatigue experienced by healthcare professionals, which has been shown to be associated with increased errors, which is in turn can lead to adverse events and diminished healthcare outcomes.
A number of landmark publications have been issued from the Institute of Medicine which have highlighted the unexpectedly high frequency of medical errors and occupational stress/fatigue among healthcare professionals. Technology has been a double-edged sword for healthcare providers: on the one hand, it has dramatically improved the quality and accessibility of data, while on the other hand, it has created heightened expectations on the part of consumers and increased stress on the part of service providers, which is highly variable in accordance with the individual end-user's technology proclivity, education/training, and occupational demands.
Thus, a way of addressing these “technology-induced” stressors and to monitor in real-time, the end-user's stress, fatigue, and uncertainty in speech patterns, is needed.